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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Female flasher escaping arrest as police can't tell if she's aroused or not

Voyeuristic Berlin flasher Annette Kaiser, who comes and goes in the blink of an eye, is flaunting a loophole in the law which says she can't be prosecuted for her 'crime' unless she gets turned on in the act.

Zebra that thinks it's a horse is show jumping contender

A Zebra called Zack has been successfully taught by his owner how to carry a rider and jump fences.

Up and away: Zack the zebra clears a hurdle with ease (Pic: London Media)

The six-year-old black-and-white striped wonder was always jumping out of his paddock, said his owner Sammi Jo Stohler - so she decided to curb his naughty behaviour and teach him to hurdle.

After some initial hesitation Zack, who lives on a farm in Texas, began to feel comfortable with a rider on board, to the point that when Sammi lined him up to jump over a fence he didn't even think twice about it.

'I could see Zack was very athletic so I thought I'd try him on some show jumping fences and he loved it,' Sammi said.

'He can now comfortably clear a 2ft 8inch fence with a rider. I take him to shows and he loves it.'

We're no quite sure whether Zack is fit enough to make the Olympics, but if Zara Phillips needs a new mount for her equestrian event then the Zack could be a winner.

Zack the Zebra isn't the only odd animal to begin a show jumping career - a 15-year-old girl from Bavaria in Germany couldn't afford a horse so she trained a cow called Luna to jump instead.

Waiter a bit slow? Now diners can use their iPhone to settle the bill and walk out of the restaurant

It allows you to shop online, send emails and even check-in for flights.

Now, for the iPhone's next trick, it will let users pay for their restaurant bills with an app.

The days of trying to catch a waiter's eye to get the bill might soon be a thing of the past, if trials beginning in a pizza restaurant chain take off.

Scroll down for video on how it works

Culinary convenience: Diners can from this week settle their bill at Pizza Express with just a few taps on their iPhone

Instead of a receipt, an electronic confirmation will be sent to the user and, at the same time, a message will be transmitted to the restaurant's till - so management don't think a customer has left without paying

Pizza Express is to pilot the pioneering experiment in its 370 outlets this week, in partnership with online payment company Paypal.

The app will only be available to download for Apple's iPhone and will see diners being given a unique code to be used for the payment process.

Customers will be able to settle their bill with just a few taps on their iPhone, meaning they can leave the restaurant whenever they like.

Instead of a receipt, an electronic confirmation will be sent to the user and, at the same time, a message will be transmitted to the restaurant's till - preventing management from thinking a customer has left without paying.

Pizza Express says the new app gives customers the option of paying their bill in 'less than a minute' at any stage of their meal.

The company will also roll out free in-house wifi to ensure a 'seamless transition' to the new payment system.

Mark Angela, chief executive of Pizza Express, said: 'We knew there was no point just launching an app for the sake of it, so we waited until we had a system that could genuinely improve our customers' experience of eating out at PizzaExpress.'

Cameron McLean, general manager of merchant services at PayPal, added: 'Over a million UK PayPal customers have made a payment on their handset so combining our payments experience with Pizza Express's ground breaking app should be a perfect combination.

Working up an app-etite: Chain restaurant Pizza Express is grabbing a slice of the smartphone action

'The line between the high street and the online world is blurring, and innovative brands like PizzaExpress recognise that payment by mobile makes a great service even better.'

As well as letting customers settle their bill, the app also allows them to find and book a table, view menus, store special offers and receipts - all at the touch of their fingertips.

This development is the latest advancement in smartphone technology.

Earlier this year, it was revealed how consumers will be able to buy a cinema ticket, a sandwich or a cup of coffee without the need for a card or cash - by simply swiping their mobile phone across a till scanner.

The technology, which is being promoted as the beginning of the end for high street shopping with a credit card, is to be rolled out from this summer.

Swipe technology: Similar chip technology to that used in Oyster cards could be introduced to mobile phones

A partnership to bring the system to 40,000 tills has been signed between Barclaycard and Britain's biggest mobile phone network, Everything Everywhere - which includes Orange and T-Mobile.

The two firms claim it will be the the biggest revolution in payments since credit cards were introduced in this country more than 40 years ago.

To start with, there will be a cap of £15 per transaction, but the banking industry expects this to rise, allowing virtually any purchase to be authorised with a swipe of a handset.

It represents a landmark move in the development of the mobile phone into a must-have tool of modern life.

The handsets have already moved way beyond simple calls and texts with the addition of music, videos, email and internet access. In future, it will become a virtual wallet.

The bank and mobile phone networks are in talks with handset manufacturers, including Apple, Blackberry and Nokia, on including the technology in their devices.

The system works by installing a tiny chip and antenna in the phone, which ties the handset to the owner and their credit card or bank account.

A radio signal is sent by the antennae to a till scanner which recognises the handset, authorises the payment and then deducts the money from the owner's account.

The till scanners capable of communicating with the handsets are already being used by thousands of retailers to handle payments through swipe cards available from Barclays and others.

The Oyster card system used on the London Tube and bus network uses similar technology.

However, many consumers may be suspicious of the claimed technological advance. Any system that encourages people to use their credit card more often, even for small value purchases, could generate huge interest charges.

There will be also be suspicions about the security of the technology, given the recent history of bank innovations.

Prince of Wales: Charlie's angels meet the biker Prince

The roar of engines and the smell of petrol filled the air of the gardens of Clarence House as the Prince of Wales hosted a reception for members of the motorcycling branch of the Royal British Legion.

The Prince of Wales manages to get in touch with his inner bikerPhoto: AP

7:00AM BST 18 Jun 2011

The Royal British Legion's Riders Branch was founded from an ex-services motorcycle club in 2004 and now boasts more than 4,250 members all over the country and abroad.

Around 80 bikers, many wearing leathers adorned with their service medals, drove into the grounds of the royal household and parked their vehicles in a long line on the gravel in front of the house.

Prince Charles posed for photographers in front of the bikes and was even persuaded to sit on one - a Yamaha Venture Star 1300.

As one of the bikers turned its engine on, the Prince gave a look of mock astonishment as heavy metal played from it, and made a joke about the choice of music.

After meeting some of the bikers outside, Charles went inside Clarence House for a drinks reception, where he chatted to more of the branch members.

The event, which was meant to be a garden party but had to be held indoors due to the rain, came about at the Prince's request after he met some of the bikers at Wootton Bassett in January last year.

Members of the Riders Branch have been present at more than 100 repatriations and have appointed their own repatriation liaison officer to offer support to families.

Bill Haley, 51, who served in the Army for 10 years but is now a police sergeant in Devizes, Wiltshire, said he met Charles on his visit to Wootton Bassett.

He said: ''This was his way of saying thanks to us for all the fund-raising we have done.

''He asked us what we thought about moving the repatriations to Brize Norton and I said it wouldn't be the same.

''I said there wouldn't be the same atmosphere that there is at Wootton Bassett and he said it was a shame.''

Anna Bradley, 44, one of the branch's 200 female members, said it was ''absolutely brilliant'' to be invited to Clarence House and meet Charles, who she described as a ''funny guy''.

Mrs Bradley, a Ministry of Defence worker from Bovington, Dorset, said: ''I'm so, so proud to be a part of it.

''He was very interested in what we actually do - our fund-raising, our raising the profile of the British Legion, and how we support the guys who are currently on operation in Afghanistan.

''Also, what other activities we get involved in. I told him that, basically, if there's a possibility we can ride a motorbike to it, we will do.''

Going and going: World's oldest light bulb still shining bright after 110 YEARS

Burning bright: The world's oldest lightbulb, which has been glowing almost continuously since 1901

While the average hardware store light bulb lasts only 1,000 hours, this bright bulb has lasted 110 years... proving once again that they 'don't make them like they used to'.

On June 18, the world's oldest-known working light bulb reaches another milestone, and will begin its 110th year of operation.

The bulb holds the Guinness World Record, and has been illuminating local fire stations in Livermore, California since 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.

Lynn Owens, who heads the light bulb's centennial committee, told Time.com: 'Nobody knows how it's possible. It is a 60-watt bulb and it's only turned on for about four watts, but nobody knows why it keeps burning.

'We've had scientists from all over the country look at this light bulb'.

Time notes that the bulb has had a few dark patches over its long years. It had some 'initial glitches' during its first year, 'a fraught week in 1937 and some random power outages all the way up to 1970s'.

The longest time the Guinness World Record-holding bulb has ever been turned off for is just a week.

The famous bulb had originally been donated to the fire station, and was made by Adolphe Chailet, a competitor of Thomas Edison.

The light bulb has a fan club with thousands of members and its own website.

Dangling above the fire engines, people come for hundreds and thousands of miles to see the diminutive symbol.

Despite his design, Chailet was never as successful as Edison, even though his bulb was proved to survive higher voltages.

A firefighter checks the world's oldest lightbulb (left), and a modern energy-saving type in Livermore, California

Bulb protector Steve Bunn said the secret of the light's success was engineering.

He said: 'They certainly don't make them like this anymore, it's a real sign of how some things were better made in the past.

'The man who invented the bulb was Adolphe Chailet and he sounded by all accounts to be a very serious person.

'But when it comes to spark, he did perform an experiment where several competitors, including Edison.

'All the bulbs were subjected to a test of increasing voltage, and exploded, all except for Chailet's, which just got brighter'.

Mr Bunn said he received a letter from the Arctic Circle, which said that 'the little bulb was a beacon of light for the whole world, even in dark and lonely places'.

He added, 'As well as the fact this little bulb was burning when my grandparents were children, it's amazing'.

Mr Bunn said the bulb was priceless to his community, although someone did once offer $5,000 for it.

'On face value, it is high up in the rafters, and a little dim, but when visitors talk to the firemen who live with it, and hear the history from them, it comes alive as a symbol of good things gone by', he said.

Mr Bunn said he had invited a friend of his dad, who had just turned 100, to see it.

'His response on seeing it he said: 'Oh I saw enough of those growing up, I can picture it in my mind'.'

Centennial Light facts and figures

Installed: First installed at the fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901. Shortly after it moved to the main firehouse on Second.

In 1903 it was moved to the new Station 1 on First and McLeod, and survived the renovation of the Firehouse in 1937, when it was off for about a week.

During its first 75 years, the bulb was connected directly to the 110 Volt city power, (subject to the power outages) , and not to the back-up generator for fear of a power surge. In 1976 it was moved with a full police and fire truck escort, under the watch of Captain Kirby Slate, to its present site at Fire Station 6 in Livermore.

It was then hooked to a separate power source at 120V, according to Frank Maul, Retired City Electrician, with no interruptions since.

Proof of Longevity: Local newspaper records; also GE engineers researched it. Was donated to the Fire Department in 1901 by Dennis Bernal, who owned the Livermore Power and Light Co.

Vital Statistics: The improved incandescent lamp, invented by Adolphe A. Chaillet, was made by the Shelby Electric Company. It is a handblown bulb with carbon filament. Approximate wattage-4 watts. It was left burning continuously in firehouse as a nightlight over the fire trucks.

Recognition: Declared the oldest known working lightbulb by Guinness Book of World Records. Ripley's Believe-It-or-Not in 1972 researched it and declared it the oldest. Charles Kurault of the TV program 'On the Road with Charles Kurault' visited the bulb in the 1970s and included it in his book as well. Has received declarations from the President of the U.S., Congress, Senate, State Senate and Assembly, and Shelby Ohio.In 2007 it was again recognized in Guiness, and Ripleys books.

The light bulb has been hanging in this fire station since the mid-seventies

Closest Competitors: The Second-oldest bulb was installed on 21 Sept 1908 by a stagehand named Barry Burke, at the Byers Opera House in Fort Worth, Texas. The building was renamed the Palace Theatre, and the light was known as the Palace Bulb ever since. It now resides in the Stockyards Museum.

The Third oldest bulb, according to Guinness, has been in a New York City hardware store since 1912.

The Fourth is known as 'the bulb', and burns in a firehouse in the town of Mangum, Oklahoma. It has been in operation since around 1926.

The Fifth was a bulb in a washroom at the Martin & Newby Electrical Shop in Ipswich, England. It was dated from 1930 and burned out in January 2001.

The oldest light bulb has been honoured by America Off The Wall guidebook

Visiting: You can visit the bulb depending on the availability of the firemen on hand. Go to the rear of the station and ring the bell. If they are in someone will answer the door. Otherwise you can see the bulb if you look through the window up on the top of the wall to your left.

History of the light bulb

1809: An English chemist, Humphrey Davy, used a high power battery to induce current between two charcoal strips, producing a bright light.

1879: Thomas A. Edison developed the first practical filament light bulb design, after many years of testing by the famous inventor and others around Europe and America. It lasted just 13.5 hours. However, in months Edison had developed one which lasted 1,200 hours, or a little more than the average bulb life today.

1930: Photo flashlight bulbs were first used in photography.

1959: A design for a halogen light bulb is first patented by General Electric.

1962: The LED, or light-emitting diode, is first introduced as a practical component in computers and electronics.

2009: The UK Government announced it was phasing out the traditional filament light bulb in favour of more environmentally friendly halogen and fluorescent models. The U.S. passed a very similar law, as have many other countries around the world.

These 'bulb bans' are not without controversy, but it is important to note that many classes of bulbs are exempt, and there are a number of good alternatives that will save people money in a relatively short time. Compact fluorescents have improved considerably over the past few years, with better light quality and longer life.

Always look for CFLs certified by Energy Star, which is a sign of quality as well as energy efficiency. Halogens also already meet the new bulb standards, and they produce warm light, since they are based on traditional filament designs, with some added technology.

LEDs are improving rapidly, and good ones for home use can be picked up for as low as $19 for the Home Depot now. They will last as much as 50,000 hours, or 50 times that of standard bulbs, so they will pay for themselves in a few years.

If you do still have older bulbs, put them on a dimmer switch to save energy and set a pleasant mood.

Get more tips on efficient and smarter lighting, as well as facts on the history of lighting, from the 2010 book Green Lighting, co-written by Brian Clark Howard (co-author of this post), as well as Seth Leitman (pronounced 'Lightman') and Bill Brinsky.

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